On Tue, 4 Oct 1994 WILSONHB@ctrvax.Vanderbilt.Edu wrote:
> Does anyone out there have any demographics on Healey (or British sports
> cars in general); who owns them, what the mean and median ages of owners
> What can we expect for parts supplies in the next 10-20 years?
> It seems possible that British sports cars could become what the old
> Ford 30s-40s roadster/coupes have become: cars enjoyed by their generation
> but virtually undriven today.
> Henry Wilson
Henry,
I can tell you that while I worked as a British Parts Supplier, (both new
and used), a very high percentage of Healys were fair weather,
professionally maintained vehicles. I'm not sure exactly why this is. I
could postulate that it was the initial price that determined the buyers
of these cars, and their relative stability of value ensured that similar
buyers retained them through the years?
I also saw, to somewhat of a lesser degree, the same situation
with TR-6's and TR-8's, but interestingly not 3's, 4's, 250's, or 7's.
The British junkyard I worked for sold all of their Healy stuff
en masse a few years ago, because no one was interested in the
replacement parts such as suspension, engines, etc. Only mail-order
things like new interior kits, or the obvious turn signal switch were in
demand. Seems like most folks were just fixing them up to sit and drive
on Sundays, or for shows, as opposed to those that wanted them as daily
drivers.
I imagine this trend will continue to grow with time, even
affecting the cheaper cars like MGB's eventually. However, I'm sure that
there will always exist some group which still can always be found
driving to work in the morning, with the top down, occasionally even in the
midst of an unexpected rain shower.
Greg Meboe
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